{The Breakfast Club: 30 years}

30 years ago today, the members of the Breakfast Club met for Saturday detention for the first time.

Now the world is a happier place, and we all have fond memories of time spent watching this iconic movie of teen angst.  Thank you Breakfast Club for being such a great movie.

Holding Time in a Capsule

    You know how some people like collecting celebrity's hair and spit and tissues?  Those people have some serious issues.  They are so obsessed, or "in love", with those celebrities that they never knew personal that they will do anything in their power (and then some) to get memorabilia of any kind to add to their collection.  It's just weird.  But now consider, how many things that belonged to your grandpa do you still save in some safe place?  Letters between your grandparents from the war?  Old jackets or shirts that your mom really loved?  Drawings from your children when they were still so young and sweet?  You have the memory, sure, but something tangible, something physical, can keep you connected to that memory even after the memory starts to fade.  Then there are those items you want to collect that are intangible. Someone's voice that was never caught on tape, the feeling when seeing the mountains for the first time, touching the softest little animal.  Some of you might think these things are weird, but a lot of you know exactly what I mean.  You know the wish of wanting to hold something intangible in your hands so that you can remember it over and over again every time you hear it or touch it or see it.  The memory itself just doesn't do for you.

    Have you ever heard of Harry Potter?  Silly question for everyone, but have you ever read the sixth book or watched the sixth movie (Half-Blood Prince)?  Dumbledore holds a tool that is a blessing in some ways and a curse in others.  It's called a Pensieve.  A Pensieve, to the untrained eye, looks merely like a bowl of still water.  However, when 'memories are extracted' from one's mind, they can be put into the Pensieve and experienced once again.  Think about that: if I take a memory from my mind that I don't have anything tangible to assist it, put it in the Pensieve and watch it all over again.  Of course, I understand the price to pay with this, but I'm not going to talk about that today (since the Pensieve isn't real, and we're not at risk of destroying ourselves.

I always miss band, and I always
miss my friends.

I miss my black tenor saxophone,
and I miss playing in jazz band.

    My point, to be clear, is that I often wish that I could hold time in a capsule, such as a Pensieve holds memories.  There are days when I'll think back to a certain instance in my life to which I have no tangible connection to and I will want to relive it, just for the amazing experience.  I wish I could hold the time I spent at the USC Band Clinic in 2010 - that time was amazing, and I wish I could be a part of that band forever.  But I can't.  I would really like to feel the surprise of being proposed to again, all the excitement and astonishment.  But I can't.  I wish I could go back and be in high school band again, all those performances, and band practices, and jazz band, and band clinics.  But I can't.  I wish I could hold these brilliant experiences in some sort of time capsule so that I can go back and reflect on them again and again whenever I want.  But I can't.

Our senior year of high school
after our last sweaty day of band camp!

    This blog post is not about working through those wishes, necessarily; I don;t really have a way to make it any easier.  All I know is that holding those times we wish we could experience over and over again is something that I would love.  But I know the dangers of that, too: I could get lost in the past and miss out on all the other experiences I have, never making new ones to reflect on and never getting the best out of the short time I have been given.

    That doesn't stop me, sometimes, from wishing I could relive certain memories.  Holding time in a capsule isn't as easy as looking at pictures and reminiscing, or seeing certain clothes and remembering some fantastic time.  But since it can't actually happen, and if I'm careful not to lose sight of the present, I don't think it can hurt to think about it.

What are some memories you wish you could revisit, if only once?

When Will You Get It, America?

[DISCLAIMER: I am not a political concierge, I only know just so much about things (like most people in America) and this blog post is simply my opinion.  I have included facts, and the rest of it is just coming from my own mouth.]

    On the brink of decision of whether or not America should embark in the war in Syria, I have many many thoughts about this absurdity.  Sometimes, I honestly wonder if our country would be better off if the people were actually in charge, and didn't just vote for one person to make all the decisions for four years.

    First off, Syria is in a civil war.  Civil wars happen everywhere almost all the time.  When a country goes to war with itself, the worst thing to do is intervene.  How do I know this?  Korea. Viet Nam.  Afghanistan.  Nameless others.  Every time there's been a civil war and the United States has gotten involved, more and more people have hated us as a nation, we lost the war anyways, hundreds of thousands of men (and women) die fighting for someone else that had nothing to do with us, and even more veterans killed themselves afterwards from experiencing such bull crap.  And in these cases, no one really asked for our help; we put it upon ourselves to "fix" them.

    Second, we have no hard evidence, only speculation, that Syria has chemical weapons.  I was watching segments from British Parliament over the debate of whether or not Britain should go to war as well.  The opposition posed great points including this statement: evidence should not proceed decision, decision should proceed evidence."  Syrians did not ask anyone to help them fight.  I understand that the Geneva Convention outlawed using chemical warfare - I do understand the severity of that.  But no one has hard evidence of the Assad Regime being the culprit of a chemical attack in Syria.  YES, I agree that what's going on there is horrible, and lots of innocent people are dying but us getting involved would only make things worse...

   Because we just got out of a war in the Middle East.  We cannot handle it!  We will go into this too soon after bringing troops out of Iraq and other places.  We simply are not strong enough to do this right now.  If we were to get involved with Syria right now, it would be one stupid decision - and how long would we be there for?  What would our relationship be with Syria once we leave?  And how will the world look at us? As that annoying bully who just can't stay out of other people's business.  This video is somewhat of a good representation of how I see the US in the world as an American citizen:

[There are a few instances of suggestive language, but no impropriety.]

Imagine the guy in the red shirt as the United States, and the other two guys are the rest of the world - that's the only part you really need to see

    My whole point is that things go on in the world, in a way effect the world, and the US thinks, "Let me show them how to live right and how to be more democratic, and how dumb they're being in blowing each other up!  How will I do that? Invade their country and kill a lot of them and then try to instill a democratic government because that's why they have so many problems!"

    And of course, the people who are leading our country right now are thinking that exact thing: no one asked for us to help, so we're thinking about forcing our help again.  HAven't we learned anything from the other civil wars that we've gotten involved in?  It doesn't work!!!!!  We lose!!!! Every time!!!!  And then the whole world gets ticked at us and the people of America find more reason to turn on their own country.  Hello!?  

    So my opinion on Syria?  They're in their own civil war.  But what if other countries invaded our civil war?  How messed up would things have gotten?  We just need to leave them alone and let them figure out their own problems.  The only time to consider intervention is when they start taking their war outside their own country.  That's when it's okay to step in.  We need to stop focusing on fighting other peoples' wars, and start focusing more on rebuilding what we have here.  WE DO NOT NEED TO GO THERE.

My 100th Post!

  Today is a great day for me in my little blogger world!  Why?  Because this is my 100th blog post!!!! :D
How Exciting!?

    My blog first Began as "Fly From the Highest Swing" in September of 2011.  The idea to create a blog came from sitting in Intro to Sociology at Florence-Darlington Technical College (my year off from CIU) after having a class discussion about Occupy Wall Street.  I wasn't sure what to expect with blogging or anything, so I gave it a go.  My first blog was written about Occupy Wall Street and my take on things, but mainly giving facts since I was new to blogging (and didn't know what I was supposed to be writing about...)
As my contribution to that time in history, I marked my place:

Occupying a Part of History - October 12, 2011

    It was a gratifying feeling to post something about world events and contribute to the world-wide craving for information and opinion.  After that first post, I started experimenting with what I could possibly write about.  I next posted about social events taking place, including the Japan Relief Effort, the Court System, and then I decided to take a whack at writing something Biblical: a Bible Study leading up to Christmas.  After the new year, 2012, came around, I kind of fell out of this new pastime I had found.  Until April.

    I worked at Sonoco in Hartsville and got bored with working as much as I did.  So when I got home almost every night, I would type up a blog and post it!  After a few posts in April 2012, I decided to try posting each new post on Facebook to see if anyone would be interested in reading what I have to say.  Well, it worked! And I was encouraged to keep typing up my thoughts for people to read!

    Throughout the year 2012, I touched on topics like music from my daily walks, how my Relationship with God was growing, I made a personalized Harry Potter Playlist, I wrote about My Engagement!!!, I talked about my idea of Conflict, I talked about my Love Language, the Venus Transit, my opinions on the 2012 Presidential Election, even Panic Attacks!  I started another blog called The Craft Room, and I got ready for the Hobbit.

    As 2013 came around, I wrote about how my computer failed me and was off of blogger for awhile.  But once I got a computer to use, I started back about things I love, like Japanese Stackable Cups, and lawn furniture from the home I grew up in.  I even decided to make a name change from "Fly From the Highest Swing" to "The Brightest Lights".  I told the world about my 21st birthday, I talked about the dead church, talked about our Looney Tunes Lunches, and gave timeline pictures of my many haircuts.  I talked about my venture with two different Blog Engines, introduced my calling, shared our life experiences like at Ninety-Six, gave some explanations of Vegetarian Life, quoted Dumbledore, started my "Getting In Shape" Journey, and talked about the new Royal Baby Boy.  Although it was late, I shared pictures and thoughts of our wedding in January, and I gave encouragement to people who want to get in shape too.

It has been a great 100 posts, getting to know the blogger world and letting people know more about me.  Over these past 100 blogs there are some stats that have accrued:

Most Popular Blog Post of all Time:

I Cut My Hair Again - March 3, 2012

At this moment: 130 Pageviews

Month Popular month for pageviews:  

March 2012: 1,057 Pageviews

My Top Ten Country-viewers:

1. United States of America - 6,337 total views
2. Russia - 21 views
3. Israel - 19 views
4. Canada - 13 views
5. Germany - 9 views
6. Spain - 8 views
7. Ukraine - 7 views
8. Argentina - 6 views
9. Thailand - 6 views
10. Turkey - 4 views

Honorable mentions:

• Netherlands (3)
• Greece (2)
• France (3)
• Panama (1)
• Philippines (1)
• Egypt (2)
• Brazil (1)
• Australia (1)
• Austria (1)
• South Africa (3)
• India (2)
• Chile (1)
• Japan (1)
• Hungary (2)
• United Kingdom (2)
• Norway (2)
• Finland (1)
• Italy (3)
• Mexico (1)
• Jordan (1)
• Poland (1)

(I don't know how I'm so "popular" in Russia but I give a shout out to my viewers there!  Thanks Russian friends!)

Most Popular browser I'm viewed on:

Chrome: 3,354 (51% of my views)

Most popular Operating System I'm viewed on:

Windows: 3,190 (66% of my views)

Most Popular Tab:

About Me - 90 Pageviews

And in the time of me writing in this main blog, I created two other active blogs:

The Craft Room:

the trend setter:

(I don't know why this is centering to the right...)

In The Craft Room, I have published only 19 posts in the past year of it's life, although many are already written for some reason... It has collected, however, 1,674 pageviews in its one year of life.

In the trend setter, I have published only 15 posts, although it is only a few months old.  In it's life, it has collected so far 487 pageviews.

And now keep looking out for my next 100 posts!!  This day is a celebration, and school hasn't even started yet!  Thanks to all of my readers, regular and occasional!  It's been a great experience writing for you.  If you have any questions or want me to write about anything in particular, please feel free to leave comments! I love getting comments!  In the next 10 posts, I hope to write more about little tutorials that I pick up from here and there that explain how to do simple projects by yourself and a computer, and I plan to keep up my Getting In Shape Journey, as well as update the blogosphere with my life events with Frank.  I'm always excited!!

The Royal Baby!

  As the whole world knows by now, the Duke and Duchess, William and Kate, brought their first little baby boy into the world yesterday, July 22, 2013!  How exciting!  Many people have been following Kate's pregnancy and so many more have been awaiting to hear the chosen name for the little royal, the future King of England.

 

  The list of names they have to choose from are all the classy old English names of all royals past.  Some of these names include:

• William
• Henry
• Charles
• George
• Alexander
• Richard
• Arthur
• James
• John
• Philip
• Edward
• Theodore
• Albert

  While all of these names have been taught throughout our schooling years in history classes, only one will be known for the King of England in the future.  Of course, each monarch has three, four, and five names at a time, but we will only ever really care about the first.  So what name do you think it will be?  I have three names in mind that I personally think would be a great fit for the new king:

1. James
2. Arthur
3. Alexander

James - This is a good strong name with a lot of royal charisma.  This new Prince would be King James III if that's the name he's given.

Arthur - First, I love the name Arthur!  As a little girl (when little girls start to think of names for all 50 of their future children) Arthur was a name that always recycled through because I just thought it was the coolest name ever!  I still love it!  Also, Arthur is synonymous with the Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur.  I think he might be King Arthur II if he is named Arthur.

Alexander - I just think it would be so cool to have a King Alexander when I'm an old woman.  I believe he would be King Alexander IV if he were to be named Alexander.

St. Mary's hospital is also where William was born! Ah, tradition.

All good names, don't know if they are considering any of these, but they are not expected to be leaving St. Mary's hospital until 1pm - ET.  Even then, we may not hear the royal baby name just yet; the world waited 1 week to hear William's name, and to hear Harry's name only took one day.  This could be a while, but I hope we find out soon!  I can't wait to see that gurgling little bundle of joy!!!!!

World News

  Catching up with the day's news, I realized: a lot has gone on in the past few weeks that I could written about.  I will only select a handful of topics to brief the world on in case no one else has been paying attention, so starting with the most recent:

Bhutan grieves fire of historical monument



Wangdue Phodrang Dzong



Wangdue Phodrang Dzong Burns
Mournfully into the Night



Late Sunday afternoon, June 24, 2012, Bhutan's Wangdue Phodrang Dzong sparked on its embellished hilltop view and burned mournfully late into the night.  The four-century-old dzong, built in 1638 by the nation's founder Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, stood as a fotress and administrative outlet for the country of Bhutan.  It was built so long ago as an effort to take control over - and unify - the country, as were many dzongs built in that time.  Still uncertain of what caused the spark Sunday afternoon, the Home Minister, Minjur Dorji, assumes it to have been prompted by an electrical short in the building's wiring.  No one was hurt, as conveniently Sunday was a holiday for the nation, and most of the relics were salvaged (hundreds of them, dating back to the 6th and 7th centuries).  But seeing as "95% of the dzong" is completely timber, the only remains, according to the local newspaper, are the stone that used to be the front steps leading up to the magnificent landmark.  Today, Tuesday, June 26, 2012 was held in reverence throughout the Himalayan region, closing all schools and offices to remember the historical structure and what it meant to the country.  Suggestions of rebuilding the structure are being considered as they have rebuilt another dzong after a 1998 fire.  News will continue to be shared over the next several weeks on progress of the Bhutanese effort to unify the people in events like these.

CNN - Bhutan Historical Site Burned

Jack Osborne reveals diagnosis of MS



Sharon Osborne, left, and 26-year-old
son, Jack Osborne, right



In lighter, more social news, Jack Osborne, son of Ozzy (Prince of Darkness) and Sharon Osborne, revealed in a People magazine interview that he had recently been diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis).  Sharon Osborne, a co-host of televeision show, The Talk, and British pop-celebrity, broke down thanking everyone for their prayers and goodwill towards their family for Jack's sake.  MS, overtime, attacks the brain and spinal cord and can cause mild or sever disability, such as paralysis.  Sharon reassures the public that Jack is doing fine, and and that she believes in the vibes of prayer.

CBS News - Jack Osborne MS

LA Times - Jack Osborne MS

Saudi Arabian Women - Olympic Debut



First Saudi Arabian Women's
Basketball Team



Dalma Rushdi Malhas, Saudi Arabian
equestrian rider



For the first time in their history, Saudi Arabian officials decided to allow their female athletes to comete in the International Olympics in London this summer, July 27.  Until now, Saudi Arabia remained as one of three countries (Qatar and Brunei being the other two) that did not allow its female athletes to compete in the games.  This year, all three countries have caved to the promptings of the International Olympics Committee and are sending women to the London Olympics.  This isn't the only socail matter Saudi Arabia is learning to loosen up on, but by 2015, women will also be allowed to vote and run for public office, however, they are still not allowed to drive cars. 



First Saudi Arabian Women's
Olympic Soccer Team



The reason for not allowing the women to compete thus far is due to the moral belief of not performing in front of a mixed-gender crowd - an understandable reasoning.  However, physical fitness and exposure to the games and athletics are seen as a "step towards immorality" - another understandable assumption, wisely considered, but still a painful hinderance to the morale of women in their country.  Equestrian rider, Dalma Rushdi Malhas states that the country opening it's permission to women in the Olympics is "a dream come true" and "will open the door for so many women."  Truly an event worth celebrating, we can look forward to seeing the woman of Saudi Arabia representing their country with pride as Olympians on July 27 for the Summer Olympics 2012.

CNN - Saudi Arabian Women Olympians

Rights of Saudi Arabian Women

This concludes my latest segment on world news for now.  See? Only a handful ;)  Next time, I will update everyone on prgoressions in the Middle East, home country conflict, and the UEFA EURO2012 tournament. 

Anything interesting you want to hear more about?  Comment below and I will write about that too!

©2011

History I Have Been There For

  I've always been the sentimental type, in that I love the meaning behind an object or event rather than the cost or price of it.  A huge bejewled necklace dating back to the 16th century, worth at least a million dollars or whatever means so much less to me than the fact that my great-grandfather bought it for my grandma as an anniversary gift from a pawn shop.  [HYPOTHETICAL]  To me, the fact that my great-grandmother wore this necklace, given out of love by my great-grandfather, is so much more important to be than having a pricey jewel - for me, it is priceless and too valuable to be sold.  Whether it's that kind of fortune, or not, I see something of value as important only if it means something to me - and then, why would I sell it!? 



Our history will always be here, even when we are not.

   Similarly, I want to raise my future kids to appreciate what they have been apart of and what they have experienced more than what they wish they could have been alive for. I want them to appreciate the value of memories more than the value of money -  a love that is lost amongst our greedy generation.  Because I am this way, do I write blogs about the Venus transit, and Pottermore opening, and the Occupy movement, the first 'black' president, and things that will be a part of history even in the smallest of ways. 

  Of course, my children will learn about 9/11 and big events in world history, but there is so much more to my life personally that happens day-to-day that I want my future kids to know about and be able to look back and think, "Wow!  My mom was there for that? She was a part of this?  This heirloom will soon be mine? Think about all the memories, and who else held it like me!"  Maybe not necessarily those words verbatim, but I want to instill a valuable mindset within them, rather than the greedy one that is so heavily impressed upon the minds of people today.  Of course, if it's not greed, it's carlessness. 



Occupy Wall Street, New York



  Here, I want to start a post that might continue over months and months of history.  I want to be able to record slowly different events in my life that were important to the world, the social world, political world, economic world, religious world, and my own little world.  If it meant something to me, or if I was around when it happened, I want to record it for the sake of my kids someday being able to appreciate the history they have behind them.

September 11, 2001

  So much is lost in time when we focus on money and fortune.  So much is forgotten, and love that brought about the world today is on the backburner waiting to truly be found again as real love and care.  Over the coming years, I will be constructing blog posts that have to do with the love and memories I have in my life that connect to world events in whatever way they present themselves.  I will give the unbiased details, and then I will slip in my own opinioin and why my opinion is what it is.  I will try to include as much online documentation as possible in hopes that what I link will remain on the internet for years and years to come.  If not, at least I can say that I tried, and my intentions were not to plagiarize.  For my future unborn, but definitely thought of, children is who I record this for, but of course, this will also remind everyone around me what we have been through together. 

Barack Obama, first 'black' president, 2008

  In the coming months, if you would like to record your own history (whether they be local occurrances, personal events, social issues, world news, and anything else) I encourage you to do so.  Have you never stopped and thought, 'I wonder what lies in my family timeline that links me to the history recorded in the past" or even thought, "I wonder if I'm related to anyone significant, or if my anscestors were in the Civil War..." - surely things like this must have run through your mind.  You can start that cycle to find importance in recording your history for those who come after you - children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, even some kids that won't ever really know who you are.  Regardless, to occupy a part of history is something that, no matter who you are, will never be taken away from you.  So soon, this will be the history that I have been there for, the part of me that will always remain...

©2011

Post-Venus Transit

  On Tuesday, June 5, 2012, Venus came between the Earth and the Sun in a rare transit that happens in pairs ever hundred to a hundred and fifty years.  Although this occurrance is that of rarity, it is among very few predictable rarities.  The last time Venus transitted the Sun and the Earth, it was June 8, 2004.  The last time Venus made it's transit was December 9, 1874 and then again on December 6, 1882.  The next time after this past Tuesday that humans will be able to see a Venus transit will be December 10, 2117, and then December 2125 - our great grandchildren will be alive when it happens, crazy, right?  Below is a chart from Google depicting which areas of the world were able to see this event take place:

  There were different methods to have been able to see this transit.  I listed a few in my previous post on the day of the transit.  I apologize if I mislead anyone to believing that looking directly at the sun was the right thing to do - never ever look directly at the sun no matter what I say, you will burn your retinas to a crisp.  Anyways, as it was explained to me, you would take a piece of paper and poke a penpoint-size hole through it.  Hold the paper close to the ground so that you can see the little hole of light on the ground.  Hold it there until you see a small dark circle moving across the little gap of light - it is possible!  Other things you can use for this are saltine crackers (and then eat them afterwards incelebration, I guess).  If you are fortunate enough, you could have gotten a pair of welder's glasses to put on and look directly at the sun.  However, most people don't own welder's glasses. 

  The cloudy picture below on the right was taken in Woodstock, Maryland around the 6 o'clock afternoon hour.  This is the time closest to when I would have been able to see it.  The one beside it (without the cloudiness) was taken in Syracuse, New York around the same time. 

  Although I tried, I myself could not get a mere glimpse of the twin planet crossing the sun in the late afternoon.  However, for history's sake, I can say that I was there when it happened, I tried, and was outside as Venus was crossing the sun - that is more than most people care to do.  So I hope that my children and grandchildren can appreciate the fact that I was a part of a rare, but predictable, phenomenon in history.

©2011



Venus Transit Today!

I have been telling people for a little over a month now about this rare occurrance!  Today, June 5, 2012, Venus is to come between the Earth and the Sun - an event that happened on June 8th, 2004, and before then, had not happened in a little over a century, and an event that will not happen again until Christmas of 2117.  No one living at this moment will live to see another great rare phenomenon like this for over a hundred years.  The only other thing we are looking forward to at the moment is the alignment of the planets with the sun later this year in December (you know, what the Mayans were predicting with their calendar?). 

On the East coast of North America, we will be able to see this happen at an estimated 6:03 this afternoon.  According to the Weather Channel, if you live in the same strip as Chicago's timezone, you can see it around 4:15.  Over near the Los Angeles area of NA, you can see this at around 3:04.  In all, all of North America will have a chance to view this rare occurrance in our world's history! 

Be sure not to look into the sun without some heavy duty protection over your eyes.  I've heard that welder's glasses and radiation shades are good ideas to use in order to look directly at the sun and see the little black dot of venus moving across it.  Otherwise, I have heard from my mother you can prick a little hole into a piece of paper and stare at the black dot.  She also said something about using a saltine cracker to look into, or look at the ground, or something like that (I have no idea, but I'll let you know once I understand it entirely).  Anyweawys, do not look directly at the sun - even with 100% UV protection sunglasses - you can burn a hole straight through your retinas, and you will never be able to see again.  You can't just fix your retinas.  So head my warning.

Here is a picture to give a little tidbit of information on venus:

I will post an update about this spectacular event - that I am so proud to be a part of in my own history - and I will find great pictures and other footage that will keep this piece of history wide alive for a long time.  FYI, the link I have connected to the WEather Channel above gives you more information about this event, and has video of meteorologists and astronomers talking about this rare spectacle.  Check it out for more info!

©2011



A Change In the Tide?

  I remember reading online back after the earthquake in Japan a few months ago about what the efforts were like of the Japanese people to restore their country.  Of course, we hear all about the pastors and missionaries and churches that have been to Japan to help in the clean up and provide counselling and other services to the survivors and to those who have lost loved ones - to whom we are all of course very thankful for!  However, something that caught my attention was the fact that, of the citizens of Japan, the ones who wanted to do the dangerous were the elderly... The younger men wanted to work in this effort. The young men who were just getting married or had young families. But the older men, who have already been through so many life experiences, have already raised children, who are new grandparents, or old grandparents, were the ones that were very persistent on doing the dangerous clean up themselves.  Strange right?
  their reasoning is this in a nutshell: 'I have lived my life.  What good would it be for young children to lose their father from doing something seen as patriotic for their country?  They would grow up without a father - seeing their mothers cry and remain lonesome, working to provide by herself, living in hardship, without a male figure to look up to.  What good would it be to put the fresh generation at risk who are the ones to take over where we left off?  All that would be left are woman, children, and the elderly who have seen their days anyways. It is not worth losing men who have so much more life to life than we do who have already lived our lives. Therefore, we are the ones who will work in the cleanup and encourage the younger generation to focus on their families and taking over what we have left for them to do.  We don't have much left to lose as it is.'
  Of course, that is not quoted word-for-word, but that is the basic mentality of the older generation in Japan.  They don't let the world water down their ability and strength just because they are older.  They see the importance of keeping the younger generation alive, healthy and strong, and don't expect someone else to do their work for them.
  So does this sound strange?  I've never thought about it before, but no, this sounds pretty reasonable, like this is how it should be.  And I think that the older generation living in Japan right now set the better example in this kind of situation than anyone else does.  The typical mindset is that the young generation should be ready and willing to sacrifice a long life ahead of them, showing their children how to live, and keeping a household stable, and go give up their lives when the older generations are still kickin'.  Here around where I live, there are so many people between the ages of 45 and 80 who exercise regularly, can swim more laps in 10 minutes than I could in an hour, run farther and faster than I will ever personally would be able to, and lead a much more active lifestyle than those who have families and take care of what's necessary rather than themselves much of the time.  Yet the mindset of those between 45 and 80 is "leave everything to the younger generation who has so much to lose.  We are closer to death than they are, but we want THEM to sacrifice what they have simply because we are older than them."  It's a high school case of 'seniority rules'.  I've never thought about it that way before.
  I stand firm on what the Bible says about respecting my elders.  And I do.  I am not saying that we shouldn't.  But what is there to respect in someone who is more than capable of doing a job - nonetheless a dangerous job - than someone who doesn't have as much capability?  Japanese elders set a great and honorable example of the way we could be living.  But unfortunately, the world does not see it that way.  I could be out of line, but that is my personal opinion.

Here is the link to which I refer:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/world/asia/28fukushima.html

©2011



Occupying A Part of History

  In its fourth week of protesting, the Occupy Wall Street movement has spread now from coast to coast and even to areas outside of the U.S. ringing out with protests declaring that the “the 99%” should have more control over what the government is doing with tax payer money.  The voices come from the mouths of the generations suffering in the first years after the greatest recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s.  Young and old are coming together in the streets of cities, like New York and Washington, to get the attention of major bankers and politicians. 

  The issue is with the “1%” of the nation who is ruling the money in the country; as the economy gets worse and worse, the rich get richer and richer, and the tax payers pay more and more.   This is the typical premise of the protests sprouts from the structural functional theory, giving the idea that this is the norm of a capitalist country, and this is the way banks, like JP Morgan Chase, want it to stay.  Who is this group?  Occupy Wall Street started as a group in Zuccotti Park in New York, protesting social and economic inequality.  Those involved are concerned about the job market for themselves, and their children, and are disgusted by the misuse of distribution among the powerful hands in the government and big business.  As one who agreed in a comment over a CNN report on the movement, activists have noticed that “When the GOP is willing to shut down USA over private jet tax breaks, I'd have to say the top 1% holds a little too much sway over our govt,” and other xenocentrists on issue declare, “Down with Capitalism!!!! The rest of the world has it better!” and the common ground of the American people is coming together over what is seen as a largely peaceful movement across the United States to get the attention of politicians who are not listening to the voices of the very people our Constitution defends.  One man, Jesse LaGreca, assumes the position of fronting the movement as he makes his debut on the FOX news network  to shell out the thoughts of many too consumed by society to speak and announces in front of the world the inequality of distribution in our nation.  Who is this man?  He's an everyday Joe, run of the mill, like the supposed 99% who can't take any longer the misrepresentation of the will of the people due to the hand of the wealthy that covers those who run our everyday lives.  He speaks out against, not only the rulers of our democracy and those who have great influence over what happens with our money, but also calls out the media for focusing on those of the middle-class whose representation give the 99% a look of how we cannot handle ourselves without CEO's of these big businesses. 

  It's about time somebody has decided to stand out against this corporate greed and start pursuing a change in the country whose economy is crumbling with every second.  

©2011